A Berlin work sampler using plain & half cross stitch is worked on Penelope canvas. The border consists of a variety of red & pink flowers & green foliage. Inside the border in the lower 2 corners is a single larger rose with stem & leaves. In the upper half a colorful bird resting among roses & greenery with 2 butterflies, one on each side. Beneath the bird & flowers in black thread: "Now who can paint like nature fair and say / Now who can such colours with such art display / Now a lovely red stands blushing in the rose / And now beauty blooms in every bud that blows" Below this is "Sarah Littleton / 1868."; This sampler is a beautiful example of Berlin work, using plain and half cross stitches on Penelope canvas. Berlin work was very popular in America from the 1830s through the 1870s. Typically worked on canvas, the embroidery was worked in petit point stitches in wool. The name originates from the first printed patterns and fine dyed wool thread that were made in Berlin, Germany in the early 19th century. At some point, this sampler was hung near a coal or wood burning fireplace, resulting in soot and smoke discoloration on the linen.